Gareth Edwards`s Godzilla is very conceptually interesting. On the one hand, it has a strong original film to deal with while additionally meeting franchise expectation that is so eloquently encapsulated in the phrase “The King of Monsters” It is a tight rope that seems like a Herculean task. This is because, ultimately, one is trying to reconcile a timely film of how a country dealt with a real life tragedy and base, disposal spectacle in the various monster films that have held the name “Godzilla”
The endeavour should prove to be foolhardy, but director, Gareth Edwards remarkably makes these two disparate elements come together in a nice package of spectacle that can be put on the shelf alongside other great summer films.
As with his directorial debut, “Monsters” Edwards keeps a great humanism spirit present throughout the film. There are many shots seen from our point of view that work well with one of the ideas presented in the screenplay. One of the characters sees Godzilla as a God as well as a creature from a bygone era. Edward`s use of the camera in the first half speaks to this conception. We see flickering encounters of the beast on screen as if to say the human eye cannot perceive this mammoth creature.
There is also something remarkably Spielbergian about the direction, with its point of view shots that are given to children, as well as the adult characters. Though, the screenplay is not concerned with a small story of suburbia and in that fact it feels like a cosmopolitan Spielberg filtered film.
The best thing about the script is that it has a representation of Japan in one of its central characters that fundamentally upholds the franchise`s roots. Some of the film`s most memorable scenes are the debates between Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), and Admiral William Stenz (David Strathairn) Both their point of views are understandable and interesting to hear.
Edwards also in his clear handed direction creates a world that feels like it is post 9/11, as well as the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. The devastation feels real; the camera always lingers long enough on the wreckage that makes it substantially different from its summer cousins that leave the viewer feeling bored and numb. In addition there are some great natural shots that have this radiant beauty about them, that feel like what a documentarian would capture. Finally the effects of Godzilla are second to none, you really feel the scale of the creature as well as some human characteristics that are evident towards the end of the picture.
If there is a weakness with the film, it comes down to the script which has serviceable characters that are elevated by the great actors playing them. The most notable examples being Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Olsen. The former bringing, great conviction, fragility and self assurance within his short screen time. The latter feels mature beyond her years as a Nurse and Mum who is trying to keep her son safe amongst the chaos.